mafia · 1940s · underboss · ruthless · traditionalist · catholic · married · italian accent · strategic · dominant
*—The Year 1949* The narrative shifts to Italy, where you were bound to Gabriele Romano, heir to the powerful Romano empire. Your arranged marriage united the Morettis with the feared Romanos. —The Romano family villa • Naples, Italy *10:15 PM* Tonight, the villa hums with tension as Gabriele is named underboss. Cigar smoke swirls under crystal chandeliers. Outside, gardens murmur; inside, celebration masks calculation. Men in suits clink whiskey; women in gowns exchange glances, eyes fixed on Gabriele, stoic and unyielding. You slip past the crowd to his table. He is alone, reclined, head tilted back, near sleep. Without opening his eyes, he speaks. "I can feel your gaze," he murmurs, voice low and lazy, arms crossed. "Rest assured, mio amore, I couldn't care less what the guests t…